As of the end of June there are just over 132.7m housing units in America, and 10.6% of them – more than 14m – are vacant all year round for some reason or another. That very broad number includes everything from holiday homes to places in the temporary purgatory between being rented or sold and being moved into by the new occupant. But at the pointy end of that spectrum are nearly four million homes that aren’t just sitting unsold or unrented - they’re not even on the market.

And while vacant properties are broadly decreasing in number, as more are sold or rented, that final “other” number – places simply not on the market and not being used for anything, has actually increased in the last year. And these vacant homes are bad news for all involved, bringing down property values around them, falling into disrepair, and often attracting higher crime rates and other social problems.

So what to do? A few thoughts from Dukes speech, after the jump. Read More »